Recording private tapes like this in the 1930s, requires to be in a secluded location away from noise and closed doors plus there were no sound proof walls until the second WW. That's what I can speculate so far
We say people who can speak two different languages called bilingual and who can speak three languages called trilingual. People who speak only one language called AMERICAN 🤣🤣 Just kidding ☺️
Actually I can hear the slight hint of the Chinese accent in her that just doesn’t go away no matter how hard you try. It’s present in those who learned English later in life. It’s extremely subtle but because the Chinese language tends not to linger on the S sound very much so a small gap appears with the tongue and lips letting air escape slightly fast than normal. It’s super subtle and you know it’s there when you are Chinese yourself but learned English very early in life and the accent never appears. Most Chinese tend to double syllables or do stop-starts when speaking English as it’s so foreign to them. It’s just something you notice only if you hang around Chinese for a long time as you hear a slight difference. This accent is a trademark of Chinese who learned English beyond age 10. I myself did not get that accent but I did gain a slight piney woods accent being in the south so long you sorta pick it up despite you not actively trying.
I am English and I can hear it. It is very subtle though, you're right. Certainly she is far closer to standard English than many regional accents within England are.
You mean the "s" or the "sh" sound? I'm not a native English or Chinese speaker, but I've studied Chinese and I know it doesn't have the "sh" and "j" sound many European languages have. So I would assume those are the ones a Chinese person would find difficult to replicate?
@@Discordia5 Being an English teacher is not the same as being a translator. I think the main problem with English in Japan is that the education system is too centered in the writing and grammar, but not at all in speaking and pronunciation. It seems like as long as you can read English, you're okay (at least thats my perception, I'm not Japanese tho)
@@detriadh I didn't know that, but Japanese people that are raised abroad speak the lenguage fluently, so I don't really know if genetics would be the explanation. I dindt mean to be offensive tho, that's just the perception I had made trough internet, so don't take me too serious.
@@Alfonso-es6ze The so-called "Japanese have short tongues" thing is allusive when you actually try and look it up. Either DeTriadh is pulling your leg, or the guy believes in an odd misconception.
Ah i just love watching and seeing videos / pictures of the past and the people who lived back then for some reason i feel strong connection with all those past times it brings tears to my eyes and feel like i just could travel there in a second 🧐😊
So, a woman who spent her time translating English, and married an English speaking person, after many years of private English lessons... speaks English well? Yes?
@@Anonymous-qb4vc China is in constant chaos after the fall of the Qing dynasty. First being warlords fighting each other, then there's the Japanese invasion and WW2, and then there's the civil war between the KMT and the CCP. After the CCP took over China, there's the great famine that killed 50 million people, and then there's the Cultural Revolution that killed millions of landlords, rich people, and intellectuals.
She's not a princess...she's a 💖queen!💖 Her message is so pure. I'm not surprised about her English speaking skills, because language acquisition is possible for all people. But I love how she's an advocate for peace during such a tumultuous time in history.
@@spzer2557 It did in my country.... tbh it was never the same defination here... your parents would ignore all of your subjects here & would mostly focus on just sciences & maths related subjects.
There’s no reason. To be surprised.. she was not an ordinary person. She was an upper class diplomat member , lived in different countries since she was a child in a wealthy high class environment m, thus obviously high educated. That has never changed , people in her situation even have always spoken several languages and excelled at other subjects . A whole different thing would have been if they had casted an ordinary Chinese person .
I KNOW RIGHT. It may seem suprising to some fools but in the past, the wealthy had a good reach over different languages and cultures because of their travel and resources. It was obviously a priviledge to have such wisdom in the past but its not a big deal now. An odinary person speaking english in a non english nation wouldve been a miracle but everyone can speak english now.
Anshika Dixit If a person learns a language between the ages of 5-13 they can learn to speak completely without an accent of their first language. (English realistically is one of the better languages and is the easiest to learn in the western world besides spanish)
I think many people forgot. She is a “princess.” She has the best of all-the best teachers, one to one tutor, luxury, time, and the hovering status as the princess to express many talents. The Chinese royal family is a complicated group. The more talent you have and the ability to express them the more valuable you are to the emperor and the royal family; and outsiders will have a better view of you.
She was not a princess. She was simply a lady-in-waiting for Dowager Empress Cixi. Even if it was a notable position she was no way close to be a royal, but as she went to a new life and due to the limited news and information people could get on the other side of the world about China, for her it was too easy to create the big lie that the Dowager Empress granted her the title.
Apparently many people also don‘t notice the fact that she reads of a board with probably complex words. I won‘t say that she doesn’t know what half of them mean but just take that as you will.
Amazing. Simply amazing. Talk about the most intriguing 20 seconds of my life out of a 60 second video. Truly remarkable. Incredible. The epitome of the internets greatest achievements.
Russell British English was also the standard form for foreign learners back then. In fact, it was only in the 70s - 90s that British English was phased out in China for American English
What do you expect? Great Britain controlled so many territories including 20th century China that when english was taught the accent was picked up as a result. It's kinda of like when an young infant learns their native language from their parents.
That's really good English for the time. There wasn't any technology back then to make it easy to learn a different language. Also it looks like she's reading. Might be in English could be in her language but that would delay the translation and she's talking fast in English. Usually people delay while translating what they've read.
"Peace on Earth and goodwill towards man can only be accomplished by mutual respect and understanding of one nation towards another" - Princess Der Ling
@@fillername236 she didn't not even in the Qing court nor in the USA, she didn't received any attention from the US government. She lived a normal life after two years serving in the Forbidden City.
this proves that education is the most essential thing. In addition, we should highlight the fact that her family had a very good economic situation, which helped her to achieve all that.
I think the term is "consorts". She was one of these tribe's/race women, that could allowed to be a consort. Other tribe, like Hans, women, were not... I think.
She was not a member of the Qing imperial family no, however whilst serving Empress Dowager Cixi she was given the title Princess as a courtesy. So she was a Princess, but more of an honorary princess rather than a princess of the blood
She is not a member of the Qing royal family. Her Father Yü Keng was actually a Han Chinese Bannerman (there were eight banners, represented by different colours. These banners were military divisions with both Han and Manchu in it) .. She received her education abroad and when she returned back, she became First Lady in waiting in short a court lady to the Empress.
I lowkey relieved knowing that she had escaped the Qing and the war and revolution (Indeed, look at Puyi you'll see what I mean) that came after, living a peaceful life with her family afar. Not many people at her time could have the opportunity, especially a high educated female scholar like her. It was all about timing.
Mm yeah the revolution wasn’t fun. Dhfhfjbf last time I said this another chinese dude started calling me a traitor 😭😭😭 bruh what do you want me to say? it was puppies and rainbows or what 🗿
It amazes me that though she’s not a native speaker, you can still tell she was living in the early 20th century from her pronunciation and inflection alone.
It had some details from that of a Mid-Transatlantic accent (which I think is due to her studying in Britain) nonetheless, her English is better than most Chinese people now (which isn't a bad thing per se, but its crazy to think that this type of fluency existed back then!)
Well, from watching through the video, it was said that she married a US diplomat and the video was taken when she was at her 40s. So I guess she had enough time & exposure to get that accent.
@@SergeH09 because she grew up in the royal family that at the time was still under british influence ever since the 2 opium wars, nobody is lazy for not learning a language they don't need too, she literally needs to speak multiple languages because she's part of world politics. It's like bieng impressed when a soldier shoots 3 pin point targets and bieng dissapointed when a gamer who doesn't need to shoot a gun can't do it aswell.
It's so sad when people are shocked that others speak more than 1 language... Just because they don't teach anything in north american schools doesn't mean it's the same everywhere...
@@wheresmyeyebrow1608 Well to be honest, the higher classed people always knew more than two languages in almost every country in the world so it's not that much of a surprise really.
Sean She most likely would have been protected, by the Former Qing Emperor who was a puppet of the Japanese, he was only a toddler when becoming Emperor and is most likely why the Last Chinese Empire collapsed.
@muhammad wafri they supported because if japan take control japan didn't want to control and seeing revolt of lots of population the easiest way is the japanese see the emperor a tool to stabilize the region if they conquer and make the emeperor a puppet to the japanese
Xitler 维尼大帝 Old English/Anglo-Saxon is totally different to Modern English, it reads more like Flemish, Frisian or even German than it does modern English. It is basically 'spicy dutch'
well she's a princess, i would be more impressed if a working class young man in shanghai speaking english fluently through self-taught in early 20th century.
@@wagamamaShoujo no need to imagine, i also grew up without text books nor podcast, my english teacher only taught me 1 hour a week from the tribe school and he couldn't even speak my language because we only speak dialect, he was there only because he was a missionary, hence i do understand the situation without any teaching recourses. while this noble lady, who was born 100 years ago, most likely had a private teacher that stayed at her side for years, had a textbook written specifically by her own teacher, and most likely got an oxford dictionary as a birthday gift....sure, i wouldn't doubt that she must had had her own difficulties learning such exotic language in the 1900s, but to most people living in poverty, it's still considered as a luxury, even in today's standards.
Wow. This is freaking amazing! As a native English speaker I can confidently say that her English is absolutely spot on. She almost had a British accent! Hahahahaha! Really fascinating piece of historic archives!
I was stupendously excoriated for contriving involuted English phraseology. Multitudinous people aren't enormously eligible to decipher my perplexing English. I'll endeavor to facilitate my English adequacy to instantaneously asseverate my speculation.
@@UNKNOWN-dx7iy So, basically, you were isolated due to your choice of vernacular and diction, and so now you strive to become more acceptable amongst society by speaking like commoners.
She was educated incredibly well due to the station in life she was born into. Of course she spoke English well! She had the best teachers in English and French from a very young age and lived in France as a child. If a European Princess from that era had her high level of command over a foreign language, I strongly doubt that anyone would be surprised by it as they are by hers.
I love things like this. How highly educated and refined she was. Imagine what she knew of plays, art, music, and poetry. She was most likely raised with a classical education style. I love it.
After moving to CA, she studied the art of distillation from Granny and became quite fluent in Holler Speak, excelled in playing Opossum, and gave Jethro a run for his money in Snipe hunting.
Plus she's royalty; of course she had time and energy to learn foreign languages. Show me a qing dynasty's peasant speaking good english and THEN I'll be amazed.
Most fluent non native English speakers back then would have English accents. Compared today where most might have American accent due to American medias taking over the world.
Not that her English isn’t fantastic or anything, it’s truly great! Especially given the lack of Western and Eastern interaction at the time but also, but most people in the world can speak multiple languages, including the Chinese and the high class of course. Still she seems very iconic and regal.
Lol there was no short of western and eastern interraction at that time consider Europeans had colonies all over asia including many parts of china. The fucking opium war and boxer rebellion were caused by too much interactions between east and west.
@@kdjoshi726 the us does not have an official language. most americans speak english, but you don't have to. a sizable part of the u.s. speaks Spanish, at least where i live.
Funny how most Han Chinese culture got removed and replaced with Manchurian clothes, hairstyles, and culture, most Manchurians got assimilated into Han Chinese in language for 300 years of rule. During 300 years, every Manchurians except the emperor changed their name into Mandarin and forgot how to speak Manchurian. Now in 21st century, there are only 10 million Manchurians left and only 19 of them speaks Manchurian as their mother tongue. It's like most British and even Queen Elizabeth forgets how to speak english but Hindi.
